Touching The Void Essay
Touching the Void is an inspiring story about the power of the human will. To my surprise, the film left me emotionally spent as it touched on the issues of friendship, mortality and survival. I am sure many of my classmates will agree that it is an amazing story. But, for me, the thing that makes it truly inspirational is the way that Joe never gave up. In this brief paper I intend to show how Self Determination and Goal Setting theory influenced Joe’s inspiring story of survival.
Self Determination Theory
Self-Determination Theory draws from the research that people are inherently active organisms that strive for positive interactions with the environment (Class Lecture, February 3rd 2011). The theory suggests that people have three psychological …show more content…
Immediately after Joe breaks his leg, it obvious the persistence level of both climbers begins to escalate. Although both men know that a broken leg during a mountain ascent is likely fatal, they still persistent and work toward the goals of reaching the bottom. Joe is in excruciating pain but he continues on simply because there are no other options. There comes a point in the film where Joe is alone, and he continues to fight even though his hope of survival is slipping. Joe describes a constant “voice” in his head that urges him to “keep going”. I believe that Joe’s inner voice represents his continued persistence and determination to survive. It is clear that Joe’s high level of persistence allowed him to push him forward when he felt like giving …show more content…
With no food, no water frostbitten fingers, and a shattered leg Joe comes to the conclusion that if he wants to survive he must “set definite targets” for himself. Faced with an enormous task, Joe consistently sets small specific, attainable goals to increase the chances of his survival. For example, Joe would challenge himself to crawl to a particular rock within twenty minutes. When he got there, he set himself another goal, and then another. This is how Joes managed to mentally deal with the seemingly impossible task of getting to the bottom of the
Self Determination Theory
Self-Determination Theory draws from the research that people are inherently active organisms that strive for positive interactions with the environment (Class Lecture, February 3rd 2011). The theory suggests that people have three psychological …show more content…
Immediately after Joe breaks his leg, it obvious the persistence level of both climbers begins to escalate. Although both men know that a broken leg during a mountain ascent is likely fatal, they still persistent and work toward the goals of reaching the bottom. Joe is in excruciating pain but he continues on simply because there are no other options. There comes a point in the film where Joe is alone, and he continues to fight even though his hope of survival is slipping. Joe describes a constant “voice” in his head that urges him to “keep going”. I believe that Joe’s inner voice represents his continued persistence and determination to survive. It is clear that Joe’s high level of persistence allowed him to push him forward when he felt like giving …show more content…
With no food, no water frostbitten fingers, and a shattered leg Joe comes to the conclusion that if he wants to survive he must “set definite targets” for himself. Faced with an enormous task, Joe consistently sets small specific, attainable goals to increase the chances of his survival. For example, Joe would challenge himself to crawl to a particular rock within twenty minutes. When he got there, he set himself another goal, and then another. This is how Joes managed to mentally deal with the seemingly impossible task of getting to the bottom of the